206-208

The New Normal – 10-4 – Interlude – Proton

Idling around did not suit a man like himself.

Proton had initially thought that they could have made use of the current political instability of Sinnoh to start getting things done, but he was unanimously shot down by everyone he had suggested the idea with.

He didn't know why he expected anything different. Those weird freaks with Cyrus were obviously going to only listen to his own commands, and Matt and the other two Team Magma fools were still only listening to their boss.

He smirked inwardly at the thought of his 'boss'. Ever since their move to Sinnoh, Maxie and Archie had practically fallen out of power entirely. If Cyrus wanted to, he could have removed them from their leadership positions without much issue. The only reason his bosses were still called as such was because Cyrus saw no reason to depose them from their positions. But Proton knew that they were merely puppets.

Everyone knew who was in charge.

Not only was Cyrus providing the funding, but his team was also responsible for a majority of the research. For all of his boss' fanatical goals, he was no scientist. Having Archie try to figure out how to invent a creation that could control a Legendary would be the equivalent of getting a Mankey to write a joke. An impossibility.

Unfortunately, his old bosses' newfound lack of power did not benefit him in any way. Cyrus was even more cowardly and over-cautious as they were, and completely and utterly refused to allow Proton to 'expose more of our actions', as he described them. Cyrus repeatedly told him that the preparations weren't in place yet, and that more patience was necessary.

So Proton was forced to do nothing but wait, spending most of his time training up his team and 'enforcing order' amongst the grunts that he was saddled with. He was supposed to be training them, and there was no better training than getting the shit beat out of you.

That was how most of his time was spent. Idling about while the scientists supposedly did all the real work. He thought his days would be spent in mind-numbing boredom.

Until Sinnoh got a new Champion.

When he first heard that the new Champion was apparently some blonde bitch, he was interested, if only because she was easy on the eyes. He dismissed how strong her team was; he never saw the Sinnoh Elite Four as anything else other than up-jumped trainers with titles that they didn't deserve.

He remembered that he had a good laugh at the very thought that this blonde thought she could somehow pull Sinnoh out of the turmoil that it found itself in. She didn't think the bitch could get any sort of respect after the old fuck of a Champion left this backward region in such shambles.

Only – that was exactly what she was doing. And Proton wasn't laughing now. Nor were his bosses.

That was why Proton had been summoned to attend an emergency meeting with the bosses to discuss what changes they could make in the face of this new Champion. Cyrus' face was as blank and as unfeeling as usual, but the worried looks on his subordinates told Proton everything he needed to know.

"I come bearing grave news." Cyrus began, "It appears that our new Champion has been moving with significant haste. She seems to be far more active than her predecessor."

"I thought she was busy with that open challenge of hers?" Archie asked, "When would she have time to do all that on top of those battles she's doing?"

Maxie smirked, "People can multitask, unlike you, Archie. Though perhaps it could be a skill that you could eventually come to learn–"

"Regardless, her movements are a concern." Cyrus interrupted those two before they could begin their signature squabbling, "I don't know why she's become insistent on doing this, but I have heard from our sources that she plans to undergo a full financial sweep through all of the businesses of Sinnoh. Ours included."

"Would that be a problem?" Maxie asked, fully serious now.

"Less than it would have been had we not gotten prior warning, but yes." Cyrus admitted, "Unfortunately, due to the high expenditure required for our research, as well as the vast amounts of resources that were lost both in Hoenn and Indigo, we've had to make up for the shortfall using our funds from our legitimate business."

"So this audit risks exposing where those funds went." Archie finished, and at this point Proton was also alarmed. Was this really how they would get exposed? All of his idling about and being 'patient' wasted because of a fucking audit?!

Fortunately, Cyrus shook his head, "That won't happen. Especially with the prior warning we received, we'll be shuffling around funds to make sure that nothing is at risk of being exposed. We have further agents that will help us conceal our underground activities. However, this does mean we're going to have to tighten our belts in order to conceal our activities. Many projects, teams, and even equipment might have to be cut down as a result."

"Then why can't we earn that money back some other way?!" Proton couldn't resist but shout out, causing everyone in the room to shoot him angry looks, "You had us sit on our asses all this time, and now you're telling us that we have to cut down even further on funding!? Then why don't we just go out there and get that extra money back!? How hard would it be?!"

Cyrus' eyes immediately shot to his, and Proton found himself staring at the two empty voids that Cyrus called eyes. Despite lacking any sort of identifiable emotion, they somehow burned with a terrifying intensity that dared Proton to disobey him.

Proton tensed unconsciously; the lingering threat for disobedience hung in the air.

"…Proton, it seems your impatience is getting the better of you." Cyrus said, not breaking his stare, "I find it difficult to believe that you seem so eager to repeat what happened in Indigo and Hoenn once more."

"I would suggest reflecting on the consequences of your rash past actions, and improve upon them." Proton bristled at his words, but the reminder of Cyrus' implicit threat kept him docile, "Remind yourself of our true goal. Do you wish to have the power of Legendaries in your hands?"

"…Yes." He bit out, no longer able to meet his boss' gaze.

"Then you would do well to remind yourself that the cost for such power would be to exercise a bit of patience." Cyrus continued with an almost lecturing tone, showing no sign that he was even bothered by Proton's insult, "This is merely a minor setback, nothing more. We will begin full operations in time. We just need to wait for an opportunity."

Then a smile plastered itself on Cyrus' face, though Proton didn't see how anyone could think that it was real, "All of you should focus on training up your teams. This setback is merely another test for us to overcome, and we have already overcome all the challenges that have been placed before us so far, growing stronger for each challenge we surpass! This shall be no different!"

"Our dream is growing ever closer to being achieved, and once the opportunity is made available to us, we will be going out in full force. Your very best will be required, because creating a utopia like ours is going to require every last bit of our dedication and effort to create!"

Cyrus' weird fanatics all cheered at his words, while his old bosses gave more subdued, but approving nods. He just rolled his eyes at their actions.

Still, Cyrus' words placated his rage a bit. With his rationality returning, he acknowledged that to go out right now would be suicidal, and would be a one-way trip to getting a life sentence. As much as he hated waiting, his rationality won out this time around.

And he had no illusions that Cyrus intended to use him as a blunt and violent instrument. But that was perfectly fine with him; he would relish in the opportunity when he was finally allowed to let loose.

However, as he leaned back against his chair, he began to wonder how much of Cyrus' actions were actually truthful.

Were they really not in trouble if they began to tighten their belts? Would their finances actually be fine if they were cut off by the financial investigation? His boss seemed as calm as ever, but how much of that was just because he was an emotionless corpse? Fuck, he hated thinking of shit like this.

Who knew this fucking bitch of a Champion would be so damn annoying?

The New Normal – 10-5 – A New Stage

(Cynthia POV)

It was time. Her battle against ex-Champion Hayato had finally come.

She wasn't nervous, far from it. She couldn't be, not when she was here to make a statement – to remind the traditionalists that their time had come to an end.

She knew that he was a Poison specialist, though his entire team did not solely comprise of Poison types. Though, as befits a man that championed the cause of Sinnoh traditionalism for so long, his Pokémon were all from Sinnoh.

"You'll do fine, Champ!" Flint patted her on the shoulder and grinned, "I know Hayato; he isn't got anything on you."

"I'm sure she knows that already." Aaron said, giving her a small nod, "Go on and crush him. He deserves it; its not like he's gotten any stronger over the years."

"Probably the opposite." Flint quipped.

She smiled at her colleagues, giving them all a quick nod of acknowledgement before she stepped forwards into the stadium once again. She smiled and waved as she usually did, until she found herself standing in front of a man that seemed to be staring at her with a steely look in his eyes.

"…So we finally meet." The aged Hayato said. He was getting on in years, but he seemed to have aged significantly since his departure from Champion. He didn't use to look quite this old.

"We do." Cynthia agreed, "I didn't expect we would meet so soon. It's quite the pleasure to–"

"Save me from your pleasantries, we both know they're false." Hayato dismissed, "I was deposed because enough of the public hated me enough to kick me out. I know your view of me is no different from theirs."

"Then why challenge me?" She asked with a tilt of her head, "Even if you won, that won't suddenly get you back the popularity you lost. You know this."

"I do." He nodded, "But my supporters have convinced me to prove one thing to you – that the traditions of the past are not wrong. That my strength, as the long-time representative of the traditionalists, has not waned."

He raised a finger and pointed at Cynthia, "I know you believe you are doing what is right for the region. Perhaps you are, and that you truly are on the right path. But all I can see is the recklessness of youth, formed by a lack of caution of the real dangers that your policies may cause."

"And by the time that you realise it, the damage will have already be done." He shook his head, "It is that recklessness that worries us. Sinnoh has been served well by the traditions that we have held so strongly to, and I must do whatever I can to ensure that we return to safer and more familiar times."

"…You really must be blinded by the past if you truly thought that Sinnoh was prospering while it held strongly to its traditions." Cynthia frowned, "I appreciate that you are doing this because you believe this is for the betterment of Sinnoh – and for that you have my respect – but I cannot deny that I believe you are misguided in your views."

"And I believe you to be the misguided one." He shot back, "Sinnoh is not a region that requires change."

"So we come at an impasse, one that must be solved through battle." She turned her back to him, realising that there was little else to say, "Enjoy your time in the spotlight, Hayato. It will be your last."

She couldn't hear whatever comment he made in response as she took her position in the arena. She clutched her chosen Pokéball in her hand; she was not messing around this time.

Her victory against Hayato had to be nothing less than a statement. The final nail of the coffin of the traditionalists to show the public of the Sinnoh that they were well and truly out of power.

The last hurrah of the traditionalists would not go out with a bang, but with a pathetic whimper.

"GO! Milotic!"

"Drapion, get to work!"

She didn't even have to give commands as Milotic immediately moved to set up a Safeguard, cutting off Hayato's greatest strength – the ability to Poison his opponents. Drapion took the opportunity and moved in close, pincers raised menacingly, thinking that it could win in a fight at close range.

It could not. For as sedentary and as passive that Milotic may appear, she was brutally strong when push came to shove.

So instead of the helpless and vulnerable target it was expecting, Drapion was suddenly bashed aside as Milotic's tail came crashing into its side with surprising agility. Drapion dug its sharp legs into the ground, trying to push against the surprising strength of Milotic, only to be met with a powerful torrent of Hydro Pump right to the face.

"Payback, Drapion!"

Even though it stumbled backwards from force of the Hydro Pump, Drapion flared up with Dark energy and rushed forwards, using the damage it took to fuel its next attack. Drapion rapidly closed the distance and slashed ferociously at Milotic; with each slash of his infused with a crippling amount of Poison.

Yet Milotic hardly seemed affected by the attacks; without access to its famed Poison, Milotic had more than enough endurance to muscle through Drapion's aggression. Especially since Milotic had secretly set up with an Aqua Ring when Drapion was busy being blasted in the face by the Hydro Pump.

Cynthia watched as Drapion continued to rip into Milotic with a calm and analytical eye, unbothered by the damage her Milotic was receiving. While it may appear that Drapion was currently overwhelming her Milotic, she could see the truth.

Drapion wasn't nearly able to overwhelm her Milotic with its attacks – it just lacked the power to do so. Considering that Hayato was a previous Champion of Sinnoh, that was a curiosity. It was almost like his team hadn't improved ever since his departure.

This was not the strength of a Champion's Pokémon. He was too reliant on his Pokémon's ability to Poison, which was where most of his training likely went to, and now that Safeguard had blocked it, his Pokémon's natural strength was unable to make up the difference. Or was her Milotic just tankier than she thought?

But that wasn't important for now. With another command, Milotic suddenly slithered to the side, dodging another Cross Poison from Drapion before a powerful Aqua Tail slammed into its side like a hammer. Drapion's head literally snapped to the side from the impact, and as it staggered backwards, Milotic darted forwards and crashed their heads together with a concussive Iron Head that disoriented the Drapion and caused it to flinch.

Drapion then exploded with Dark energy as it swung its claws around with a powerful Payback, only to hit nothing but air as Milotic had already fallen back. So instead of striking with a powerful counterattack, Drapion was blasted in the face with another torrential Hydro Pump that sent it skidding back and pinned against the psychic barriers of the arena.

As Drapion struggled to peel itself off the ground, Milotic took full advantage of this to begin setting up with Coil and Dragon Dance, constricting herself as she crucially boosted her Attack, Defense, and Speed.

She knew she could not replicate the jaw-dropping demonstration of brute strength that John accomplished with his starter, but she COULD defeat Hayato in a way that would make her victory look effortless.

And with his Drapion being so outmatched by her Milotic to allow her to begin setting up, and with a strong Safeguard firmly in place to deny Hayato access to his poison, she knew she was already on her way there.

Realising that keeping Drapion in the fight for longer was only going to allow her Milotic to continue setting up, Hayato withdrew his Drapion and sent out his Gastrodon next, which was one of his few non-Poison types.

He must have been thinking that Gastrodon would be able to nullify Milotic's Water attacks.

However, that assumption was quickly proven false as Milotic rushed forwards, surprising the notoriously sluggish Gastrodon as a Dragon Tail whipped through the air and smashed into the Ground type's face; the impact digging a trench through the ground while sending the Gastrodon face first into it.

Then Milotic swept her tail upwards, forcefully knocking Gastrodon into the air before darting forwards and immediately Wrapping herself around it. Gastrodon gasped in pain as Milotic ruthlessly began to squeeze, causing a painful squelching noise as Milotic painfully constricted the Gastrodon with her longer and stronger body.

Gastrodon was literally having the air crushed out of it.

"Stone Edge, Gastrodon! Break free!"

She could see the desperation in both the trainer's and Pokemon's eyes as Gastrodon frantically tried to break free by launching a volley of sharpened rocks into Milotic. But her Water type merely shrugged them aside as she continued to choke the life out of the Gastrodon and – to add insult to injury – blasted it right in the face with a pulsating Dragon Pulse.

Knowing that his Gastrodon was completely and utterly helpless as it was being choked out, Hayato did the only thing he could do.

"Return, Gastrodon! Come out, Toxicroak!"

She shot Hayato a curious look as she stared at the newly emerged Toxicroak; he must have been running out of options if he chose his Toxicroak to be his next Pokémon.

But…that was fine, because she felt that this was time to reveal one of her trump cards. After all, she was here to send a message, and what better message to send but to show how impossible Hayato's chances of victory against her was?

Therefore, she made the order.

"Baton Pass, Milotic."

She watched as Hayato's eyes shot open with surprise as her Milotic was recalled into her Pokéball, only to be swapped out with her Garchomp – now with ALL of Milotic's previous buffs. Milotic weren't able to learn Baton Pass naturally, but she had practiced with her Togekiss to make this strategy a reality.

"GARCHOMP!!!" And now, as Garchomp's thunderous roar echoed throughout the arena, instinctively causing Toxicroak to flinch minutely in fear, she grinned tauntingly at her opponent. Facing a boosted Garchomp was every trainer's nightmare – and hers was no ordinary Garchomp.

It would be a slaughter.

Then Garachomp buried herself into the ground, only to erupt out seconds later as she effortlessly ripped through the Protect shield from Toxicroak. A desperate Ice Punch from the Toxicroak was expertly parried before Garchomp brutally clotheslined her opponent, crashing a powerful clawed wing into its neck and sending the Toxicroak sprawling onto the ground, choking on its breath.

Grabbing the fallen Toxicroak in her razor-sharp claws, Garchomp let out a menacing growl as her claws painfully dug into Toxicraok as she viciously clutched the Poison type's head in her hands as if she was trying to crush it with her boosted strength. A Sludge Bomb came her way, but she shrugged it off before her arm came down like a blur, smashing the Toxicroak head first into the ground.

Toxicroak struggled in her grasp, but her Garchomp was unrelenting as she ruthlessly smashed it down again and again and again, brutalising the Poison type as a small crater formed around them.

Garchomp then pressed Toxicroak to the ground before she let out a stomp, causing the hole that she had created to split apart and shatter as a spiderweb of cracks cut through the battlefield. As the tremors began shaking the entire arena, Garchomp kept Toxicroak pinned to the ground, forcing it to tank through the entirety of the sheer destructive power of Garchomp's boosted Earthquake.

Needless to say, with all of the buffs that Garchomp had, the Earthquake was very much overkill. Toxicroak had fallen within seconds.

And she knew that the rest of his team wouldn't last much longer than that.

=================

​(John POV)

Cynthia's battle against Hayato was just as dominating as I hoped it would be, with the latter having been soundly crushed by his replacement. Like the rest of the spectators, I was also surprised when she had revealed her Milotic's ability to Baton Pass her buffs, and I inwardly raised the threat level of her Milotic by a couple of stages.

The ability to pass on buffs to her already powerful Garchomp was staggeringly powerful. Especially the right kinds of buffs.

It was something to consider for my own team as well.

Of course, with Hayato soundly crushed by Cynthia in a dominating 6-0 victory that really highlighted the power of a fully buffed up Garchomp, that signified the last 'real' chance that anyone had of displacing Cynthia from her new position as Champion. Even though she still had other challenges waiting to fight her, everyone knew that they were only doing so as to not be left out. There was no real chance that they would win.

Therefore, Cynthia's position as Champion was all but confirmed.

Not only that, but Wallace had contacted us through the same conference call that he did before, with the same people attending, looking to speak about the Tri-Regional Tournament.

"I bring joyous news!" He said with a pleased smile on his face, "Though I may have run my assistants ragged, I can safely announce that the planning for the Tri-Regional Tournament HAS BEEN COMPLETED!"

"Is it still taking place in Hoenn?" Bertha asked.

"Have our partners been decided? What was the criteria for choosing the teams?" I followed up.

"Are the Champions still going to fight in 3v6 in the end?" Lance added, just as excited as everyone else.

"Ah, I can see that there is plenty of excitement to share around! Excellent!" Wallace grinned, "But to answer all of your questions, allow me to give you another rundown of what the Tri-Regional Tournament is going to entail."

Wallace then proceeded to explain that this tournament was going to take place over the course of a week, during the intermediary break between the Preliminary Rounds and the Finals of each region's Conference – as they all took place at the same time. Wallace said that he figured that would help maintain the public's excitement for the Conference and make it easier to generate hype. The announcement and invitations would be sent out after this meeting.

Technically, a Gym Leader or Elite Four could refuse to participate in this Tournament. But that was stupid on so many levels. As a Gym Leader and Elite Four, to skip out on such an event would be seen as cowardice.

Nothing about the format of the Tournament had changed from his initial proposal. The Champion battle at the end was still going ahead, to the joy of both Cynthia and Lance.

The only difference was that that Wallace had now confirmed that a small prize and a commemorative trophy awaited you if you made it to the Top 3. The trophy came in pairs, which meant that you were able to share it with your partner.

I suspected that the small prize pool came from the rushed nature of the Tournament's planning, so naturally everyone was scraping to save as much money as possible without cutting any essential corners.

The winner's prize was, frankly, hardly anything to be excited about, but the real prize was the prestige and fame that one could earn by being able to fight on such a big stage. Not that I needed any more of it; but I would still strive to win regardless.

Especially with the opportunity to fight against Lance on the line.

"I noticed that you still haven't mentioned about who we are partnering up with." I pointed out, failing to hold back my excitement.

"Patience, I was just about to get there." Wallace chuckled, "But I guess I can move on to the topic of who's partnering with who. Over the last few days I had carefully studied the strengths and teams of each and every participating Gym Leader and Elite Four and sorted them out into 3 different categories. The first category belonged to the strongest of trainers, the second belonged to those who had a more 'average' level of strength, and the last belonging to those that were newer and less experienced to their position."

"For the sake of privacy, and as to not offend anyone, I will be not be disclosing who falls into which category." He said, though I was sure that we could guess who fit into where, "But I have done my best to pair up – as fairly as possible – the teams that would be participating in the Tournament. However, given the above criteria, I suspect that many of you could already predict who your potential partner might be."

"I will be declaring who's partnered with who on the new website that will launch alongside the announcement." He stated, "Please find out there."

He took a dramatic breath of air as he finished his explanation, "Now, does anyone have any problems or questions that they would like to direct towards me?"

"Would certain Gym Leaders be offended that we've labelled them as 'weaker'?" Bertha asked.

Lance scoffed, "If they were offended then they just have to prove themselves to be strong. The Tournament is an excellent opportunity for that, after all. Having a poor reputation is your own fault, or merely a sign of inexperience. Both can be rectified with hard work."

"Indeed." Wallace nodded, "Anyone else?"

"I have none." Cynthia spoke up, "I think you've covered all your bases."

"I only have one question – do you have plans on hosting a tournament like this for next year?" Lance asked.

"I believe it would be too early to say." Wallace replied, "Let's see how this one turns out first. Personally, I think keeping it to a one-time thing would make the event more special. Plus, we can still have other tournaments like this in the future, but they should follow a different format."

"That's understandable." Lance nodded, "Then I have no other questions. You have our support. We will make our announcement jointly."

"Excellent! And if there aren't any other questions…" He looked around to the Elite Four that were present. None of us had anything else to add, "…Then I'll leave it here for now. I've already got a press conference ready in a few hours. Feel free to coordinate your announcement with us."

"Will do." Cynthia nodded, and the meeting broke up there.

Before I left Lance's office, I raised something I had meant to bring up earlier, "Oh, by the way, Lance, would it be okay if I took a week to visit Sinnoh again? Probably after the Tournament is over?"

"Visiting Sinnoh? What for?" Lance asked curiously.

"It's nothing serious, but I just wanted to do a little bit of cave diving and see if I can discover anything else in those caves that I ventured in before." I said easily, "You must remember the headlines when I discovered those long-lost Pokémon."

"Ah, I do remember them." Lance nodded, "Well…I'll keep your request in mind once the Tournament is over. If I think that there's a week spare, then I'll give my approval for you to head over. Do realise that I will probably saddle you with one or two tasks while you're there, though."

"Yeah, that's fine. I expected it." I said, "Oh, and I'm planning on heading there with Drake. If our schedules match up."

"Drake? Really?" Lance looked surprised, "I didn't think you'd be going with him. No offence meant."

I chuckled, "No, I understand. Drake doesn't seem like the type of guy that would do something like this. But I like the man, and I felt that it was a shame that we hadn't spent time together since we fought those terrorists in Hoenn."

"Drake is a respectable man." Lance agreed, "Well, it's not like I can tell you who you can or cannot spend time with. Just try not to cause that much of a fuss there. I know you're intending to visit more than just Drake – a certain someone springs to mind. Just know that I do not want to see an international incident in the news when you're there." He joked.

"I'll do my best." I laughed, "Anyways, thanks Lance. But I'm going to head home and get ready to see who my partner is."

"You know you're going to be paired with someone we–…less strong, right?" Lance said, trying to be diplomatic and not saying 'weak'.

"Of course." I nodded, "But that's part of the challenge. And besides, this is all supposed to be in good fun anyways. I'll do my best to win, but there's no need to deploy my Slaking from the get go."

"Good, because you better save your starter to face off against Emperor. We'll be waiting." He grinned challengingly at me.

"I haven't forgotten." I matched his challenging grin with one of my own.

Our conversation ended soon after that, and I immediately headed home and got to training. Excited about Tyrant's fight against Emperor, I spent more time than I usually would have with him to make sure that he was in the right place to take on Emperor.

There was no 'special' training that we did, not because I was being complacent, but simply because I had ALWAYS been training Tyrant to be able to take on Emperor. That means that there was no new tricks that I could teach Tyrant, not in such a short amount of time. It was all down to skill and experience now.

My other Pokémon gave Tyrant a wide berth as he trained, slightly intimidated by the oppressive aura of determination and sheer purpose that he was radiating. However, seeing Tyrant's determination only drove my other Pokémon to train harder, as to not let Tyrant be the only one pushing himself this hard.

I smiled as I saw this; I had raised a good team.

Eventually, the hours came and went, and I headed back inside for dinner, which was just in time for Wallace's announcement of the Tri-Regional Tournament.

I wasn't even listening to the announcement itself; not only did I already know what was coming, but my mind was completely focused on who my partner was.

I didn't care if they were weak. As Lance pointed out, that would have been expected. I cared FAR more about their character and if I could work well with them. After all, we weren't going to be paired with someone from our own region, so I might not be as well-liked as I was in Indigo.

"…Hey! The teams are out!" Karen suddenly called out from my left, having joined us for dinner today, "Go check already! You've been buzzing with excitement this whole dinner."

She didn't need to tell me twice, and I immediately hopped on my phone, going to the website and finding the list of participants and their respective partners. I scrolled down through the list until I finally found my name and who my partner was going to be.

I let out a grin of relief as I saw who it was.

"I can see the grin on your face, so you must have gotten someone good." Karen said curiously, "Who is it? There's no way they'd pair you with someone that was considered strong."

"They wouldn't." My dad agreed, "Champion Wallace spent so long emphasizing in his announcement that the teams would be fair and balanced."

"Still doesn't explain why he's grinning so much." Karen said, "So, stop being coy and spill the beans. Who'd you get?"

Deciding that I had probably teased them for long enough, I flipped my phone around and showed them who my partner was.

"…Roxanne? Isn't she the one of the newer Gym Leaders in Hoenn? The one who recently replaced Roy at the Rustboro Gym?" Karen asked.

"Oh, I remember her!" My mom exclaimed, "I remember that there was a whole fluff article about how she spends a lot of time as a teacher training up the new generation of trainers, on top of her duties as a Gym Leader. Many were saying that she's very mature and kind for her age."

"That's exactly why I'm so pleased to get her." I smiled, "Since the format of this Tournament is 2v2, and the whole purpose of the Tournament is to show off cooperation between the regions, it's important that you're able to work well with your partner."

"And you must be happy because you realize that Roxanne is someone you can work with." Karen finished my thought for me, "Well, I can't disagree; she seems friendly. I think you'd make an excellent pair. Better to be paired with her than someone more abrasive."

"Exactly." I nodded.

"Hmm, well I guess you had some good luck there. So, who did everyone else get paired up with? I'm very interested in who the old hag is teamed with." She leaned over my phone to look as I proceeded to scroll through the list.

I legitimately burst out in laughter as soon as I saw who Agatha was paired up with. Wallace must have done this on purpose to pair up Agatha with TATE AND LISA. The mental image of grumpy old Agatha spending time with the super young Psychic prodigies was too much for me.

Karen must have agreed, because she joined in on my laughter when I showed it to her.

"…Can you imagine the old hag standing side-by-side with those two when they take their picture?" Karen wheezed out between her peals of laughter, "She'd look so out of place! It'd be like she was their grandma!" Even my parents were giving off wry smiles of their own.

Joking aside though, that was a very formidable pair. Tate and Lisa were young, but they were true prodigies, which was why they were made into Gym Leaders in a rare exceptional case (though they were still supervised). Their only weakness was that, as they were ultimately still kids, they were still prone to immaturity and lacked a lot of experience in battling despite their talent.

But Agatha could easily make up for both these deficiencies. It really was a pairing to watch out for.

Other than that, I saw a few other notable pairings which really highlighted how much research and consideration that Wallace put into this.

Drake was paired with the Waterflower sisters, which I suspected had something to do with their shared Water specialty. Sidney was paired with Brock, likely owing to his familiarity with Dark types since he had trained with Karen. Lorelei was paired with Wake. Will paired with Flannery.

And then another laugh threatened to break out of my face when I saw that Pryce was paired with Candice. Those two could not have been more different in terms of demeanour, but it was still a powerful team.

Furthermore, I also saw Giovanni being paired with Norman, which was going to be interesting to see. A knowing smile DID break out across my face as I saw Volkner being paired up with Jasmine.

I wished them both good luck.

"So what are you going to do now?" Karen's voice broke me from my idle browsing, "Since you're paired up with Roxanne, are you going to start training with her?"

"Of course." I said as if it was obvious, "I said I'm planning on winning the whole thing, right? Training can't wait if I'm to be in the Top 3."

"It can wait until dinner's over at least." My mom cut in, "You better eat up quickly. The food's already gotten cold since you were so distracted."

Appropriately admonished, I quickly polished off what remained of my dinner before finally making a call to Drake.

"John! Did you see the pairings?" He immediately asked.

"I did, and it's actually why I'm calling." I replied, "But first, you happy to be paired up with the Waterflower sisters? Like I told you before, I can vouch for them – they're good people."

"I didn't have any doubts about that." He said, "You don't have to worry about them giving a weak performance. I promise I'll whip them into shape for the Tournament."

I chuckled, "No need to push them too hard."

"Of course, of course; I'm not some kind of harsh taskmaster." He chuckled too, "Anyways, what can I help you with? Or are you trying to find to contact Roxanne?"

"Yep, that's exactly it." I nodded, "Do you mind helping me get her number?"

"Already have it. I'll send it over now." He said.

"Oh, cheers. Thanks!" I said, "Oh – by the way, I already spoke to Lance about the trip to Sinnoh. He's okay with it, assuming we can find a block of time to go there."

"Wallace said it was fine as well, so maybe this fucking trip is happening after all!" He laughed, "…Well, I gotta go talk to those water sisters of yours. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll do your city proud by the end of this Tournament."

With the call over, he passed me the Roxanne's number and I moved to ring her up.

"Good evening, Elite John." A very polite and formal voice sounded through the phone, "I had expected this call, but thank you for reaching out to me. I'm Roxanne, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Likewise, Gym Leader Roxanne. I do hope I haven't disturbed anything." I replied.

"It's perfectly alright; I just finished dinner myself. Can I assume that you're looking to discuss matters regarding the Tournament?" She asked. "You seem like the type that wants to win the whole thing."

"You're right, that IS my goal." I chuckled, "I fully intend to be in the Top 3 so that we can have the opportunity to face off against the Champions."

"I see…well I hate to disappoint you, John, but you can probably imagine why you were selected to partner with me." Roxanne said sadly, "Everyone knows your strength in the same way that everyone knows that I'm weak. I'm afraid that I'll be the anchor tied around your neck."

"Nonsense. Don't bring yourself down that much." I instantly replied, "Firstly, this Tournament is about teamwork, not necessarily about raw strength. I'm sure with the right amount of cooperation and training, we'll be able to take advantage of our respective strengths to make it to the top 3 AND have a good time. Plus, you wouldn't have been made Gym Leader if you are as weak as you say you are, so I'm sure that we'll able to come up with something that will allow you to utilise your strength."

"I'm always willing to learn." Roxanne responded firmly.

"Excellent, that's all I needed to hear." I grinned, "And I understand that you aren't able to come over to Indigo, and I'm likewise not really free to head to Hoenn so early. But I think we can arrange to host training sessions through the phone; see what each person can do and how best to work with each other. Would you be free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Evening would be better for me." She said, "Unfortunately, I have students to teach in the afternoon."

"Of course. That's perfectly fine too." I nodded, "Then let's talk further tomorrow evening. It'll be good to learn more about each other's teams."

"Absolutely. I'll look forward to it." She said before hanging up.

"She sounds nice." Karen smiled as I hung up, "I thought she'd be a bit more nervous, but she sounds quite assured herself. Must be why she's a teacher."

"Nice is all that matters." I stated, "I'm confident I can work well with her."

"You think some of the teams will struggle to work together?" Karen asked, before cutting herself off, "Wait, no, that's a dumb question. I've no doubt that there will be teams that can't work well together."

Then she laughed, "I still can't get over the old hag getting paired with the twins. I couldn't think of a better pairing. As soon as I head home, I'm definitely going to needle her about it."

"But who would you pair her with, if you could choose?" I asked.

She shot me an evil smile, "Why, Pryce of course! Can you imagine it? It'd be a complete disaster!"

I shuddered at the image. That was a civil war in the making.

The New Normal – 10-6 – Partnering up

As was to be expected, the announcement for the Tri-Regional Tournament dominated the headlines. It was the first large scale event that would involve all of the known regions, and every Gym Leader and Elite Four was allowed to participate.

ANYONE who was a fan of Pokémon battling was immediately drawn to the upcoming Tournament. Everyone had their favourite Trainers, and they all wanted to see who would end up in the Top 3.

Of course, much of the discussion was primarily focused on the partnerships. The forums were flooded with posts and theories about who people thought were going to be the best team. The fact that the battles were 2v2 also allowed for even further discussion, as many people started to think about who could work well together.

From what I saw, I was one of the favourites to enter the Top 3. But the public thought that was due to my personal strength alone. They didn't have a good opinion on Roxanne, who many thought was simply going to drag me down.

Thus, they theorized that if I won, it would be because my Pokémon managed to carry us through the battles 1v2.

I didn't like that. I appreciated their respect of my strength, but I didn't want to give off the impression that I would be ignoring Roxanne. As I had emphasized many times, this was going to be a team event. Roxanne and I would win together – it wouldn't just be me doing all the work.

The public had also pointed to some other teams as ones favoured to enter the Top 3. Drake and the Waterflower sisters were contenders, but like me, that was purely from Drake's strength alone. Agatha and the twins were another favourite, for a similar reason.

Either way, we would have to see about how they actually got along with each other when it came time for the Tournament itself.

And in the midst of all this discussion and excitement about the upcoming Tri-Regional Tournament, Cynthia's victory over Ex-Champion Hayato was almost brushed under the rug. Not that it was forgotten, its just that outside of Sinnoh, people had other priorities.

I heard as much from Cynthia when I spoke to her.

"People not caring about his defeat is perfectly fine." She told me, "After all, the point of a victory like this is so that the traditionalists aren't able to show that they're still relevant. If the public aren't talking about Hayato's defeat, then that plays into my plans as well. After all, I wasn't here to humiliate him – not like you did with Shin."

"Are people really not talking about it in Sinnoh?" I asked, "Surely it'll be more relevant there."

"The Tournament and the team lineups have predictably dominated much of the discussion on the news and Pokénet." She explained, "Congratulations, by the way. From what I know of her from research, Roxanne is a good partner for you to have."

"I didn't realise you already did the research on her." I commented.

"Of course I did." She stated, "You have that match against Lance, right? I'd be disappointed FOR you if you didn't make it into the Top 3. Of course I'd wanted you to get a partner that you could work with."

"And I don't intend to lose that battle." I replied with conviction, "It was hard enough to get an opportunity to fight Lance. I will make the most of it."

"Good, because I know you can do it." Cynthia said firmly, "I believe in you. Emperor may be seen by the public as the strongest amongst all Pokémon, but if there's anyone that can overthrow that title, it will be you and your Slaking."

"Show the world the strength that I see in you." She said, with her eyes locking onto mine even through the screen, "Prove that you are a Champion, whether you hold the title or not."

Her words caused a wide smile to break out on my face, "You always know the right thing to say."

"And I expect to be rewarded when I do get to see you." She smirked, "Count the days, John. We'll see each other again in Hoenn."

"I'll be sure to greet you most enthusiastically." I chuckled, "After all, do you remember what I said before about the beaches of Dewford?"

After all that boasting about how much superior the snows of Sinnoh were compared to the sunny beaches of Hoenn, I was determined to change her mind about this. No matter what, I'd find time to bring her to experience a proper beach experience.

"I'll make sure to pack appropriately." She smiled teasingly, but then I heard a knock on the door through the phone, causing Cynthia to look up, "Tsk, I have to go now. I'll wait for you in Hoenn." Then with one last smile, she ended the call.

I smiled as I stared down at the black screen of my phone. I couldn't wait to see her again.

However, that was for later. And today I had an unexpected meeting to attend to. Professor Oak had called, explaining that he wanted to show Shelly, Blaine, and I something. Considering who he had invited, I suspected that he had an evolution item to show us, but I had no idea what he had found.

So, with bubbling curiosity, I flew over to Pallet Town once more and arrived swiftly at Professor Oak's lab. As I entered his office, I seemed to have been the first to arrive.

"Professor!" I called out as I walked in, "It's been some time."

"Oh, John, I thought you'd be in a little later." He got up from where he was working, "Do you mind waiting a little bit for the others to arrive? That way I can show you three together."

"Sure, no worries." I sat down on one of the spare seats as I took a look around his lab. My eyes were immediately drawn to the copious amounts of notes that were written on a whiteboard, and the lone incubating egg that was placed on a desk. I couldn't tell which egg it was.

His handwriting was a little difficult to decode, but reading through the keywords, he was apparently trying to discover if there were any alternate Fairy forms for Pokémon that we had missed.

"Yes, it's a little side project of mine that I worked on right after the Fairy reveal." Oak spoke up as he saw the look on my face, "I had immediately gotten back into working on the PIT technique as soon as we had finished, but I wanted to focus on the Fairy type since its the newest."

"Plus, after your words with Daisy, I thought that I could gift her a new Pokémon if I ever discovered one." He shot me a grateful look, "Thanks for that, by the way. I had been a little unsure of how much I should push her to become a trainer, but I'm happy to see her so motivated."

"It's not a problem, Professor." I shook my head, "Koga encouraged me to train her up, and I thought that she had a lot of potential as a Fairy specialist."

"Well she's taking to it very well." He chuckled, "You know she constantly asks me questions about the Fairy type now? She's keen to learn everything about her chosen Type. Gary's a little less enthusiastic, but he's also training harder now that Daisy wins more of her fights."

"Any chances Gary wants to follow in her big sisters footsteps?" I asked. That would be a big change from canon for him.

"Not a chance." Oak laughed, "If anything, his big sister choosing to be a Fairy specialist has well and truly pushed him away from the Fairy type. He wants nothing to do with it, which is a shame. I hope he overcomes this little sibling spat of his – the Fairy type has many powerful Pokémon that I'm sure he would value in his team."

We continued to engage in some more small talk before the door to his office swung open once again as Blaine and Shelly entered the room.

"Oh, sorry if we're late." Blaine said as he stepped in, "We were just finishing up a call with Volkner."

"How is he?" I asked, "Do you guys get along well?"

"He's just as you said." Shelly nodded, "Very smart, and has a clear passion for working with machinery. Though he's quite the eccentric, and tends to get tunnel-visioned on one particular thing from time to time. He almost seemed lazy, if you didn't know better. He's just very disinterested in things he's not passionate about."

"Bah, having a few eccentricities is the norm around here." Blaine scoffed, "Anyways, Sam, what did you want to show us? You've already got my interest."

"Right this way." He escorted us to a corner of the room, where he had stored another familiar looking lockbox placed on top of a wheeled trolley. It was the same as the one Blaine used to store his Magmarizer. Just what did he find?

The three of us stared with unhidden interest as he opened up the lockbox…only to draw puzzled looks from the other two as he did.

"…What is that?" Blaine asked confusedly, "Did you make some kind of special training weight, Sam?"

"Is it okay if I touch it?" Shelly asked, receiving a nod from Oak. "Huh, that's surprisingly coarse. Rougher than I would have thought." Then she tried to lift it and it didn't budge an inch, "Woah! It's really heavy! And tough! What is this? It's really feeling more like a specialized training weight the more I look at it."

But unlike the other two, I immediately caught on to what it was. That was no ordinary training weight, that was a Protector – the evolution item for a Rhydon to evolve into a Rhyperior.

"Believe it or not, what you're holding onto is an evolution item." Oak explained with a grin.

"An evolution item!? For which Pokémon?" Shelly exclaimed in shock.

"I call it a Protector." He said, "And I've already tested it. It's used to evolve Rhydon into a new Pokémon I call a Rhyperior. Here, let me show you."

A bright white light formed in the room as Oak casually released his newly evolved Rhyperior into the middle of his office. An intimidating figure emerged in front of us, with its large, muscled, and powerful stature instantly becoming the centre of attention.

Rhydon were already known to be strong Pokémon. But a Rhyperior took it to a whole different level. THIS could easily be the ace Pokémon of any team. Even without much training, it could already be considered to be a powerhouse Pokémon.

I could imagine Giovanni salivating over it already.

"…Incredible." Shelly muttered as she carefully observed Rhyperior, "I can feel its power radiating out from it. How did you create something like this, Professor Oak?"

He rubbed his head sheepishly, "Well you weren't far off when you compared it to a training weight. I was actually trying to create a training weight that would allow for Pokémon to make use of to improve their strength training, but I went too far. This Protector is far too heavy and tough for most Pokémon to use."

"That still doesn't tell us how you made it." Blaine added, "How did you make it as a tough and heavy as it is?"

"Rock energy." Oak admitted casually, as if it was the easiest thing to do, "I just copied what you did with the Magmarizer and compressed a lot of Rock energy into a single item."

We all blinked at his nonchalant response.

"…No, no, no, wait a minute, Sam." Blaine rubbed his head tiredly, "You don't get to just glance over that explanation. How in Arceus did you manage to manipulate that much Rock energy like that? I had to build my own machine when I created the Magmarizer, and that took me months!"

He shrugged, "I don't know what to tell you, Blaine. I just built my own machine and then it just happened. It was a nice side project that I had been working on. I can even show you the machine later if you want to see it."

The three of us gaped at him. Even with my lesser understanding of science, I knew what Blaine had accomplished with the Magmarizer was no simple task. So for Oak to create the Protector by adapting Blaine's own methods – and so quickly – was nothing less than jaw-dropping.

Was this the genius of Professor Oak?

"…I shouldn't even be surprised at your antics, Sam." Blaine eventually muttered, "I should be mad. Actually, I don't know why I'm not. Well, congratulations anyways. It seems like you made quite the find."

"Do you have any plans to sell it?" Shelly asked, shaking out of her shock and taking up her role as a Devon Corp Director once again.

He shrugged, "If there's demand for it, then I see no reason why I wouldn't." The way he said it was so dismissive that it was as if the money and the fame didn't matter to him.

To be fair, it probably didn't.

"Well, that's all I really want to show you today." Oak turned his attention back to us, "So how's your own Electirizer project going? I hope it's going well."

That pulled everyone into a discussion about what was going on with the Electirizer. With Volkner brought onboard and actually working well with the team, that meant that they were making steady progress to creating a prototype. Blaine suspected that we would actually finish ahead of projections.

"Volkner hopes that we can get a working prototype done by the time the Tournament rolls around, which was quicker than we expected." Shelly said. "He hopes to use the Tournament to show off the new evolution."

"It would be a great marketing opportunity." Oak agreed, "Ah…it's a shame that I won't be able to participate in the Tournament. It sounds like great fun."

"I think many people are sighing in relief that you're not participating, Sam." Blaine muttered, "You'd easily be one of the Top 3 if you were."

Oak shrugged, "Oh well, I'll stick to cheering you guys on the sidelines." He looked at me and Blaine, "Who were you two partnered with again?"

"I'm with Gym Leader Byron, and John's with Gym Leader Roxanne." Blaine answered for the both of us.

"Byron…ah, he's the long-time Gym Leader of Canalave City, from Sinnoh." Oak nodded, "Well he's of similar age to you, Blaine. Maybe you can work well together as a defensive-offensive pair."

"Maybe…" That didn't sound very convincing from Blaine, but then the conversation switched over to the three of us bantering about the Tournament and the pairings.

My reminder that Agatha was paired up with the young twins got Blaine roaring with laughter and even elicited a few chuckles from Oak. Shelly got her few cents in – working with so many strong trainers had pushed her to train up her analysis skills even further.

Sadly, everyone had their own commitments to head to, so we had to cut our discussion short. I returned home and got to training with my team ahead of my meeting with Roxanne.

I had a really deep think about which Pokémon I wanted to highlight through this Tournament. This was an excellent training opportunity for my weaker Pokémon since it was rare for them to be able to fight so many experienced opponents like this; I couldn't afford to pass this up.

Therefore, I vowed to myself to primarily make use of Ornstein, Euphie, Pixel, and Wraith for this Tournament. With some good planning and teamwork with Roxanne, I believed that their strength and niche would be sufficient at overcoming any foe and bring me to the Top 3.

I acknowledged that, aside from Pixel, none of my chosen four Pokémon were really at the Elite level yet, though Ornstein was close to it. But I was confident that they all had their own niche, and were well-trained enough, to do well in the Tournament. Sure, I knew it was going to be an uphill battle for me in certain fights, but those were the moments where my Pokémon could most likely improve themselves.

I'd save my stronger Pokémon for emergencies if I really needed to use them, so I wouldn't be intentionally handicapping myself. After all, I didn't intend to lose.

So that was what I worked on for the rest of the afternoon, all the way until Roxanne called up. Moving to a video call, her image slowly flickered into existence on my phone.

"…John? Can you see and hear me?" She asked.

"Yep. It's a pleasure to finally see you face-to-face, even if it is over the phone." I greeted, "Now I understand we're both quite busy, so let's get right into it."

"Absolutely." She nodded, "I'll start by introducing my team." She picked up her phone and panned it over her team.

She had a Golem, Steelix, Sudowoodo, Relicanth, Shuckle, and her starter Probopass. A very typical lineup for a Rock specialist. Admittedly, her team really wasn't anything special; in fact, I'd consider it to be below average for a Gym Leader.

But I didn't begrudge her for it when I knew that her true strength lied in her role as an educator. The strength of one's team was not everything, even as a Gym Leader.

So I didn't let any disappointment show on my face, "Let me show you the team that I intend to bring into the fight." Then it was my turn to pan my phone around Ornstein, Euphie, Pixel, Klee, Luna, and Wraith, which I explained would be the main Pokémon I intended to be using. Though I also included Smough and Vordt just in case.

"…You don't intend to bring your stronger Pokémon?" Roxanne asked.

"I do intend to use them if I have to, but I want to primarily focus on these Pokémon for the time being." I explained, "If I were to use my stronger Pokémon for every fight, then there's every likelihood that I might be able to defeat our opponents by myself. That would leave you completely sidelined, which I don't want. The whole point of the Tournament is to work together, and so our victories will be a team effort."

"Of course, should we face an appropriately formidable opponent, then I will not hesitate to use my stronger Pokémon." I said, "I will not compromise our chances of making it into the Top 3 just because I want to train up my weaker Pokémon. You have my word on that."

She nodded, "Then you have my thanks. But…as you can see, my team isn't the strongest. Nor am I the most accomplished of battlers. However, I will defer to your superior experience in guiding us to victory."

I accepted being the 'leader' of us two, "Sure, I appreciate the trust. Now I think we should go through what our Pokémon can do."

Therefore, the two of us spent some time going over what our Pokémon did. I didn't find anything surprising from Roxanne's descriptions of her Pokémon; they all fought and were trained up to be your standard defensive Rock type. They had powerful moves and were highly durable, but were slow and immobile.

I did ask if Shuckle knew moves like Guard or Power Split, but Roxanne unfortunately explained that it wasn't very trained in those moves at the moment since Shuckle was a more recent addition. It was more of a supportive/defensive Pokémon than any niche offensive threat, which was fine. It would still be useful.

In summary, Roxanne had trained her Pokémon as she was likely taught to do. They were perfectly competent Pokémon in all respects, but there were no surprises. Her Pokémon were likely all textbook examples of how you should train them up.

It really suited her as a serious educator.

"…I was hoping to get my hands on a few of those newly revived fossils. I would love to be able to study them up close and hopefully add them to my team." She said.

"Couldn't you afford them?" I asked, "You ARE a Gym Leader."

She chuckled, "I could…but I couldn't really justify the cost. The fossils are still really new, and they're still really pricey. I'd just have to wait for the price to go down before I consider it."

Hmm…maybe I could help with that? I mean I could just ask Joseph, but I didn't want to freeload off of him either or take advantage of his goodwill. Something to think about for the future.

Putting that aside for now, I fell into careful thought about how we could work together as a team. One of the main difficulties was that we weren't really able to train together; she was in Hoenn, and I was in Indigo. Most of our training would be done separately, meaning that it was harder for our Pokémon to get used to and cooperate with each other.

Fortunately, the simplicity of her Pokémon's fighting style actually helped out here. With how little time we really had to work out a strategy, and with no idea who our opponents would even be, it was best to keep things as simple as possible. Thus, the fact that Roxanne's Pokémon were only really able to fight one way helped to not over-complicate things.

In fact, the majority of our discussions actually revolved around how I would utilize my Pokémon instead; since they all fought so differently from each other. Klee, Luna, and Euphie were primarily supportive Pokémon, Ornstein and Wraith were far more offense-oriented, and Pixel was a jack-of-all-trades.

And then Vordt and Smough were there if anything really needed to be beaten down.

"Your Pokémon are all so unique." Roxanne muttered, "They're all so different from each other."

"The benefits of the Normal type." I bragged exaggeratedly, "It's why we're the best type."

She rolled her eyes, but was unable to hide her amusement, "Since you have so much time to joke around, have you come up with a training plan on what we could work on?"

"Yes…this is what I think we should do." Then I went into explanation about how I intended to fight our battles. Knowing Roxanne lacked experience, I kept things simple for her. She would focus on what Rock types did best – to defend and to make use of large, destructive, area-of-effect attacks.

I was sure that this would surprise a few people, but I decided that I might take on a hybrid support/ambushing role with my own team – with a primary focus of crippling and taking down key threats or distracting them to allow Roxanne to hit her slow, but powerful attacks.

The main advantage of keeping the plan as simple as this was that it meant that we didn't have to rush into training up some complicated coordinated manoeuvre that would probably fail when it came time for the actual battle.

A simple plan executed well was better than a complicated plan executed poorly.

And judging by the look of approval on Roxanne's face, I could tell that she agreed, "I appreciate that you've kept it simple. It's something I've always told my students. It gets all too easy to get caught up in theories and step-by-step plans that don't take into account the many complications of a real battle. I was prepared to speak up should you have fallen into the same trap, but I was wrong to doubt you."

"Well thanks for the compliment." I rubbed my head, "So do you think you understand what you need to work on with your team?"

"Yes, I'll be focusing on making sure my Pokémon can attack as powerfully and as quickly as possible. I trust in their defences already, so making sure that I can fully take advantage of the opportunities you provide me would be the most essential thing to work on." She responded, "I'll be trying to maximize their power in the time we have left to prepare."

"Good. And I'll be working on my Pokémon's supporting moves even further to make sure that I can set up those opportunities for you." I returned with a nod, "Let me demonstrate what kinds of opportunities my Pokémon can create for you."

I smirked once we had gotten to what Pixel and Wraith could do; I was certain that the shock on her face at his Illusion ability would be replicated many times over in this Tournament.

And that was how the two of us got to work on training up ourselves for the Tournament. Plus, the more we talked, and the more I observed Roxanne and her team, the more confident I was in our chances.

Roxanne was a hard worker and an observant battler with a keen eye for detail. And that effort had translated well into her team. Like I said earlier, her Pokémon truly were nothing special. In a 1v1 battle, many teams would be able to exploit their predictability and easily crush them.

But here, with me as her partner, I was able to cover her Pokémon's major weakness. As long as I performed my job properly, I trusted her team to either be the ones delivering the knockout blow, or to buy enough time for me to do the same.

I grinned; this was going to be an exciting Tournament.